The Governor of the State of New York, both houses of the state legislature, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate Proclaimed “108 Days of Education” in New York in honor of the 108th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
In a special reception in Albany Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Chairman of the celebrations said that it was a personal honor and privilege for him to be the chairman of the celebrations in honor of the Rebbe.
Speaker Silver said with pride that he saw first hand the scope of the Rebbe’s activities in his travels overseas. “Wherever I traveled I saw the Rebbe’s emissaries in action,” he said.
Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch greeted all participants and said that it was a great honor for him to know the Lubavitcher Rebbe and that the Rebbe helped him when he was president of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in New York City.
Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Director Lubavitch Youth Organization, offered words of welcome and thanked Lieutenant Governor Ravitch and Speaker Silver for their kind efforts.
In talking about the Speaker, Rabbi Butman said that “the true quality of a friend is that you can always depend upon him.”
Rabbi Butman noted that when the Rebbe speaks about education he talks about the education of all children regardless of race, religion, color or creed.
The Rebbe emphasized that the children should be taught that “The world is not a jungle” and that there is “An eye that sees and an ear that hears.”
He also stressed what the Rebbe said that we live in the last generation of exile and the first generation of redemption and we can bring the Redemption even closer through more deeds of goodness and kindness.
Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, the Shliach in Albany and vicinity, overseeing the local Chabad Houses, spoke about the scope of the Rebbe’s activities to reach the entire spectrum of the Community in all parts of the world.
Before Rabbi Butman opened the United States Senate in Washington in 1991, the Rebbe told him “Take a Pushka (charity box) with you and let everyone see what you are doing and let them know on what money should be spent.”
In accordance to this directive Rabbi Butman brought a Pushka with him to Albany. During his prayer he offered a dollar bill in the Pushka.
It was most interesting to see how members of both houses of the New York State Legislature lined up after the prayer to offer their own dollar in the Charity box as an act of goodness and kindness.
yasher koach to rabbi rubin and all the other shluchim etc in albany!